Eiber-cleaner



A. HAM BLET,

FIBER CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 30. 1915- 1 1 95,464. 1 Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

gnvemto'c A. HAMBLET.

FIBER CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-30.1915.

1,195,464. PatentedAug. 22,1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

glwwu roz A. HAMBLET.

FIBER CLEANER.

APPLICATION HLED MAR-30.19%.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I l J4 I :30 3/ Z Z3 27 Z/ W Hom/ef ALFRED HAMBLET. OF NORTH TONAWANDA, NEW YORK.

FIBER-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

Application filed March 30, 1915. Serial No. 18,025.

To all wiwm it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED HAMBLET, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fiber-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is a fiber cleaning machine designed to thresh fiber from palm or similar leaves.

The invention comprises a threshing drum, an adjustable cooperating part, means for adjusting said part relative to the drum, and means for feeding the leaves from one side of the drum casing to the teeth carried by said drum and for slowly drawing said leaves transversely across the periphery of the drum as it rotates, the threshed fibers discharging on the opposite side, while the litter and refuse are discharged from the rear of the drum casing.

The invention also consists of the novel features of construction hereinafter de scribed, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, looking toward the feed or right hand side of themachine. Fig. 3 is a vertical section, from front to rear. Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section through the lower half of the drum'and casing, on the section line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a plan view of a platen. Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the platen and through a link of a chain. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of a link of the chain. Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 3. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal vertical section through a chain tightener.

In the drawings 1 represents a suitable rectangular casing having on its opposite sides curved slots 2 and 2 the first being a feed slot for the leaves and the latter a discharge slot or opening for. the fibers. The casing is also provided with a removable to 3.

31 shaft 4 is transversely journaled in the casing 1 and carries at one projecting end tight and loose pulleys 5 and 6. Within the casing there is fixed on the shaft a drum 7 the periphery of which is provided with dovetailed guideways Sin which slide T- shaped knives and retaining plates, 9 and 9, respectively, the knives and plates being held against longitudinal movement by set screws 9*.

At the front end the upper portion of the casing 1 has a hinged flap 10, the lower portion being open to receive a slidable casing 11, which casing has an inner wall 11 curved on the same arc as the periphery of the drum 7.

The base 11 of the casing slides in guideways 12 arranged longitudinally in the lower portion of the casing 1. The casing 11 is moved back and forth along the guideways 12 by a feed screw 13 which passes loosely through a bearing plate 14 at the front of the casing 1, and threads through a depending plate 15 carried by the rear end of the casing 11, though it will be obvious that the exact location and construction of these bearings is not of material importance, so long as longitudinal movement is imparted to the casing 11 without interfering with a vertical adjustment to be now described.

The guideways 12 are pivoted on pins 16, which pins are capable of vertical adjustment along slots 16 in the casing 1, the pins being locked in position by nuts 16. Depending from the guideways in advance of their pivotal points are rack bars 17 which are engaged by pinions 18 on a shaft 19, rotated by a hand wheel 20.

The upper front portion of the slidable casing 11 carries a block 21 which supports a platen 23. The ends ofthe platen 23 curve downwardly,jand theblock 21 has its ends undercut. Inwardly extending lugs 24 formed on and springing from the curved ends of the platen engage the undercut ends of the block 21 and limitvertical movement of the platen 23. Pins 25 passing loosely through the block 21 connect the two parts and springs-26 arecoiledabout the pins and a middle spring 27 is also inserted between the block 21 and platen 23. These springs support and hold the platen 23 in normal position but permit its downward movement to accommodate leaves of ries or feeds the leaf while the ribs 31 hold it firmly in place while being acted on by the blades 9 of the drum 7. Each link is also recessed as shown at 32 to engage suitable sprocket wheels 33, over which the chain formed by the links 29 run. The links separate to run over the sprockets but form a continuous and practically rigid conveyer when traveling in a straight line.

The upper flight of the chain and that portion engaging the sprockets travel in a chain housing 34.

On the left hand side the sprocket wheel 33 is mounted in a bearing carried by a movable plate 36 working along a guideway 37 and movable ther-ealong by a feed screw 38 which bears at one'end on the guideway and works in a thread block or plate 39 carried by the plate 36.

On the right hand side of the casing 1 the shaft 4 is formed with a worm 40 which meshes with a worm gear 41 on a shaft 42, the right hand sprocket wheel 33 being on the same shaft. Rotation of the shaft 4 therefore will rotate the drum 7 and also cause a slow rotation of the shaft 42 and slow but continuous travel of the chain formed by the links 29. v

The leaves are fed through the curved slot 2 and are caught by the chain and carried slowly along the platen 23 and in position to be acted on by the blades of the drum, the fibers threshed out being discharged by the chain from the slot 2. Chafi', litter and all refuse matter slides down the wall 11 and is discharged at the rear.

Longitudinal movement of the casing 11 7 combined with vertical adjustment of the guideways 12 through accurate adjustment 7 of the casing 11, that is its wall 11 with respect to the drum, and this adjustment also affects the platen 23 which moves with the casing 11. V

WVhat I claim is: 1. A machine of the kind described comprising a rotatable drum, a casing arranged casing, the casing being open at the lower portion of its front'and rear, and having curved slots in its sides adjacent the front, a second casing arranged in the first mentioned casing, vertically movable guideways arranged in the first casing and receiving the second casing, the second mentioned casing having an inner wall curved on the same are as the slots, means for moving'the second casing along the guideways, a rotatable drum in the first mentioned casing, the periphery of the drum having a curvature corresponding to that of the inner wall of the second casing, leaf supporting means carried by the second casing, and a chain adapted to travel over said supporting means and carry leaves from one slot to the other and across the face of the drum.

I 3. In a fiber cleaning machine, a rotatable drum, blades on the drum, an adjustable casing having a wall curved to, conform to the curvature of the drum and adjustable with respect to'the drum, a casing inclosing the drum and the adjustable casing and having curved slots on the sides in alinement with the blades of the drum, a grooved leaf support carried by the adjustable casing,-

and a chain, the linksof whichhave leaf engaging teeth, the teeth also working in the groove of the leaf support, said chain conveying leaves to beacted on by the blades of the drum from one slot to the other.

ALFRED'HAMBLET. I

I Witnessesi RICHARD Fox, VALTER HA BLET.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 012mm,

' Washington, D. C. a 

